Insider Tips: Use Add Edits for Faster Cuts in Premiere Pro

Insider Tips: Use Add Edits for Faster Cuts in Premiere Pro

Every week, Frame.io Insider asks one of our expert contributors to share a tip, tool, or technique that they use all the time and couldn’t live without.  This week, Chris Salters show you how to use Add Edits for faster cuts in Premiere Pro.


Use Add Edits for faster cuts in Premiere Pro

You’re likely familiar with Premiere Pro’s Razor tool.  If you’re not, it uses the mouse to split clips into smaller segments, which is video editing at its most basic level.  And like most things in video editing, there’s more than one method for achieving your desired result.  So it shouldn’t surprise you that there is an even faster way to split clips in Premiere Pro.

The Razor tool uses the mouse to split clips into smaller segments.
The Razor tool uses the mouse to split clips into smaller segments.

Quick cuts

The Add Edit command (Ctrl/Cmd+K) is a keyboard shortcut that performs the same function as the Razor tool. It just does it  without the need for using the mouse.  Simply move the playhead to the desired position and the clip selected. Hit Ctrl/Cmd+K and your clip will be split at the playhead. It’s responsive enough that you can add edits this way while the play head plays across the timeline. Which could be useful if you’re adding cuts to a music beat.

The Add Edit command is a keyboard shortcut that performs the same function as the Razor tool.
The Add Edit command is a keyboard shortcut that performs the same function as the Razor tool.

Add Edit will cut either the selected clip or clips under the play head or will add a cut to all of the targeted video and audio tracks on the timeline. Hold down Shift while adding edits if you would like to add a cut through every clip under the play head. So give your mouse a break and add an edit.

Hold down shift (to CTRL+K or CMD+K) while adding edits to add a cut through every clip under the play head.
Hold down Shift (to Ctrl/Cmd+K) while adding edits to add a cut through every clip under the play head.

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Thank you to Chris Salters for contributing this article.

Chris Salters is a freelance video editor who cuts commercials and brand films. Based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, he spends his free time cycling, woodworking, and being a Dad. Chris is fueled by coffee and rewarded by beer.

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